Where do waterbucks live?

As its name would indicate, the waterbuck inhabits areas that are close to water in savanna grasslands, gallery forests, and riverine woodlands south of the Sahara. Such habitats not only provide sustenance, but long grasses and watery places in which to hide from predators.

What is a waterbuck?

The waterbuck is a large, robust animal; males are generally about 25 percent larger than the females. Waterbucks have large, rounded ears and white patches above the eyes, around the nose and mouth, and on the throat. Only the males have horns, which are prominently ringed and as long as 40 inches. The horns are widely spaced and curve gracefully back and up. They are sometimes used with lethal results when males fight one another over territories.

The waterbuck has a shaggy brown­-gray coat that emits a smelly, oily secretion thought to be for waterproofing. In East Africa, two types occur: the common waterbuck and the defassa waterbuck, distinguished only by the white pattern on the rump. The common waterbuck has a conspicuous white ring encircling a dark rump, while the defassa has wide white patches on either side of the rump.

Behavior & Diet

Waterbucks eat leftovers.

The waterbuck is more water-dependent than domestic cattle and must remain close to a water source. However, this habitat furnishes waterbuck with a year-round source of food. Mainly grazers, they consume types of coarse grass seldom eaten by other grazing animals and occasionally browse leaves from certain trees and bushes. They feed in the mornings and at night and rest and ruminate the remainder of the time.

They don’t have many close relationships.

Calves are generally born throughout the year, although breeding becomes more seasonal in some areas, after which a single young is born. The mother hides her young for about three weeks, returning three to four times a day to suckle it. Each suckling session lasts only about five minutes, during which time the mother cleans the calf so that no odor is left to attract predators. Even so, there is a high rate of calf mortality.

Although the calves begin to eat grass when they are young, they are nursed for as long as 6 to 8 months of age. After weaning, they begin to wander off, and young males often form all-male groups near the occupied territories, while the young females stay in their mother's group. The waterbuck does not reach adult weight until about 3-1/2 years old. Females mate again soon after bearing young (within two to five weeks).

The two species often interbreed.

If the defessa and common waterbucks have bordering ranges, they often interbreed; as a result, some scientists consider the two groups as a single species.

Gallery

Challenges

Waterbucks are losing their homes.

Habitat loss and fragmentation are the biggest threats facing the waterbuck. As people construct new roads, build settlements, and expand agriculture, they are infringing on wildlife habitats.

Solutions

Our solutions to protect the waterbuck:

Cultivate conservation tourism.

African Wildlife Foundation knows that the success of tourism in Africa depends on its majestic wildlife. We bring communities together with private investors to construct conservation tourism lodges like The Sanctuary at Ol Lentille in Kenya. The lodge provides sustainable income for the community, and the 20,000-acre conservancy is a safe home to a variety of wildlife.

Set aside safe space for wildlife.

AWF works with governments and communities to designate wildlife corridors—large swaths of land that waterbucks can use to from one park, or country, to another. Corridors link protected areas and allow wildlife to follow rains or travel to their calving grounds.

Projects

Will you show the waterbuck your support?

With your help, AWF can work on critical initiatives like setting aside land for wildlife corridors and cultivating conservation tourism, which provide safe spaces for the waterbuck to live. Donate for a cause that will help with wildlife conservation and ensure the waterbuck does not become an endangered species.

Reason #24 to get involved

The African wild dog population is at 6,600 and declining due to habitat fragmentation, human conflict, and widespread disease. Your support allows for wild dog scouts to monitor and protect this species.

Reason #53 to get involved

With loss of habitat and prey, carnivores—like cheetahs and wild dogs—are hunting community livestock. As a result, farmers are forced to kill these species. African Wildlife Foundation needs support training scouts and funding bomas to protect livestock as well as negotiating buffer zones for wildlife.

Reason #67 to get involved

Already vulnerable to a number of natural predators, the kudu now faces loss of habitat due to habitat destruction and poaching. When you support African Wildlife Foundation, you support local communities’ efforts to protect wildlife habitats.

Reason #11 to get involved

Wildlife corridors allow migratory species, like the wildebeest and zebra, to roam safely. Without intervention, these free spaces are threatened by increasing development and agriculture.

Reason #61 to get involved

On the brink of extinction in 1996, the West African giraffe population is now steadily growing. However, their habitat in Niger is not formally protected. African Wildlife Foundation needs support funding efforts that reduce human-giraffe conflict within these crucial ecological buffer zones.

Reason #16 to get involved

You can help protect one of man’s closest relatives—the endagered bonobo. Vital supplies are needed for scouts in the Faunal Reserve of Lomako-Yokokala, a critical bonobo habitat in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Reason #65 to get involved

The Congo Shipping Project has drastically reduced the amount of land lost to unsustainable farming practices. With your support AWF can implement other programs that will limit habitat loss.

Reason #85 to get involved

AWF works with a host of partners on issues ranging from climate change to land conservation. Projects like Kolo Hills REDD+ are examples of our continued success working with partners.

Reason #28 to get involved

African Wildlife Foundation has helped farmers return to the Congo River as a means of finding new markets for their goods. To improve livelihoods and reduce locals’ reliance on wildlife hunting for survival, efforts like this need continued funding.

Reason #75 to get involved

The African lion is in critical danger, with some predicting extinction by 2020. This isn't just a tragedy to the species; it would also cause major ecological problems. Help us continue crucial efforts like reducing human-wildlife conflicts that threaten the lion.